Motionless on the ground

Varga’s girlfriend witnessed the European Championship drama up close

The medical staff looked after Barnabas Varga and a screen was erected.(Bild: AFP/Miguel MEDINA)

It was a terrible scene: After an unfortunate collision in the clash with Scotland (1:0), Hungary's Barnabas Varga lay motionless on the ground. His girlfriend witnessed the European Championship drama up close in the Stuttgart stadium on Sunday evening.

As the German newspaper "Bild" reports, Laura was in the stadium rooting for the Hungarians. Then came the shock in the 68th minute: Varga, a former Austria international who had played for Mattersburg and Lafnitz, among others, fell after a free-kick cross in the turmoil of the penalty area and remained motionless on the pitch. His worried teammates immediately called for help and carefully moved him to the side, and he was eventually taken off the pitch on a stretcher with cloths to protect him from view.

A moment of shock for the fans in the stadium and the TV viewers. Especially bad: Laura had to witness the dramatic scenes live in the Stuttgart arena. Her teammates on the pitch were close to tears.

Facial fractures
As the Hungarian association posted on X on Monday night, Varga suffered a concussion and several facial fractures and will most likely require surgery. After their 1-0 win over Scotland, Hungary can still hope to progress to the knockout round as one of the four best third-placed teams in the group.